For many businesses, network security suffers from sprawl and inconsistency. Terms like authentication, encryption, firewalling and intrusion prevention get thrown around as requirements of the system, but are piecemealed together with incompatible technology and unverified procedures.

No wonder concern about network security is such a huge cause of ulcers and sleeplessness for business owners. If just one part of the system falters, critical business information can be in the hands of hackers long before you even realize there was a break in.

Business network security must consider that:

• There are different types of threats that attempt to penetrate systems with a focus on specific vulnerabilities.
• Threats change everyday.
• The business network is made up of local area networks, wireless and cellular networks, wide area networks, and IP-based communications. Security solutions must be effective across these technology platforms.

Network Security Layers

As a result of diverse network technology, there is really no single product or technique that can protect against every possible threat. Experts recommend a layered approach to provide multiple lines of defense. This allows the system to catch breaches that might get through one layer of security.

These layers include:

• Authenticating users with user names and password combinations. This also may include physical authentication with a card or USB key.
• The firewall layer, which governs authentication procedures and controls and filters Internet access into the network. A dedicated firewall is a physically independent device (as opposed to being part of a router or switch) that has security specific software. Communication solutions and Internet access are screened through a firewall.
• After the firewall, individual PCs and servers must be armed with antivirus and spyware prevention software.
• At the network level, intrusion prevention and detection systems continuously monitor networks for malware or suspicious behavior, with rules and policies defined by the network administrator.

Network Security Coordination

Your network security will only be as effective as its weakest link. Piecemeal solutions are difficult to verify, particularly for wireless and mobile access.

Layers of security are vital, but these layers must work in coordination with each other. The sprawl only becomes a system when you can verify that a single weak link can’t compromise the entire network.

Business owners can consider two options to ensure their network security layers are in place:

1. Get a complete security audit. Experts can analyze your entire network topography and map out connections to the different security layers, ensuring that your security protocols are working together to protect the entire network. This becomes a map for updates and ongoing maintenance.
2. Consider having more of the network infrastructure hosted by an outside vendor. If your server environment is hosted in a secure data center, you don’t have to concern yourself with that area of security. Commercial data centers have a lot at stake with regard to security, so there are robust protocols and solutions in place, with updated, redundant layers. It’s like keeping your money in a bank, where they have a much stronger vault than you keep at your business.

The more your network spreads out, the more important it is to ensure no weak point exists that hackers can exploit.

An assessment to test your layers of security could one day save your business, and it will almost surely provide a better night’s sleep.